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Event planners and designers learn business techniques, design, and networking at the WOW Academy, conferences, and SheEO program.
You don’t know what you don’t know. This is a phrase often spoken by many who take learning and self-enhancement seriously. This is especially true for entrepreneurs who are always trying to sharpen their skills. Yet, oftentimes entrepreneurs, especially those new in their respective fields, don’t know where to look for guidance to catapult their business to the next level due to a lack of mentorship and resources.
Meisha Pigford, the owner of Dream Celebrations, has taken steps to remove the barriers for event planners and designers. She has created a community where they can network, learn, and support each other.
Pigford desires to help women avoid some of the challenges she faced when she started her business.
WOW Academy
In April 2020, Pigford had the vision to begin the WOW Academy, which helps build strong business foundations through courses, workshops, videos, conferences, products, and services. The academy aims to help event planners, designers, and DYI creators learn design techniques and grow their businesses.
The WOW Academy expanded its services to include a network of female professionals who collaborate and support each other, known as SheEO. SheEO is an acronym meaning sisters helping elevate each other.
The members of the tribe embrace the mantra “collaboration over competition.” Furthermore, an excerpt on their website states, “One must possess enough faith to understand what’s meant for you is for you, and will never pass you by. Therefore, you will be able to genuinely help elevate the sister next to you.”
This faith-based movement, currently based in the Metro Detroit area, is becoming more popular among fellow female event planners and designers living in other states. Because of its popularity, don’t be surprised to find new chapters of this movement pop up in states around the country soon.
By leaning heavily on her faith, she uses her experience as a business owner and HR manager to build a platform to help others be enriched by sharing her knowledge and resources. In addition, she pours loving support and wisdom into the female entrepreneurs by assisting them in building confidence and belief in their abilities by recognizing their strengths and uniqueness.
“Inside the WOW Academy, my first course is called Two Year Tweak for the Faith Led Wedding Planner or Designer. I am very intentional about giving God the honor and glory. For me, there is no success without God. Having that faith is the oxygen for me to survive in business. I can’t explain anything without faith”, Pigford states.
Pigford is very cognitive that many businesses fail within the first five years. Therefore, now that she is in her eighth year in business, Pigford believes she is led to help others succeed in business.
She states, “I really try to keep God as my business partner. Having the faith, and having Him as the business partner, is going to always guarantee you a competitive business advantage”.
Upcoming Conference
The WOW Academy is hosting its SheEO Conference in November with a Tweak Your Biz Revenue Retreat at the Westin Hotel in Southfield, Michigan, on November 11 – 13th, 2022.
Pigford shared, “I want event planners and designers to know this is not your average conference. This particular three-day experience is all about getting to the money. I want people to walk away feeling empowered and also enabled that they know what they need to do inside their business to go and either add profits to their bottom line or know how to sell their vision to get bids. This is not your typical conference. I have the industry’s best coming. It’s definitely an event that you want to be at”.
The three-day conference features action-packed activities. The first day features hands-on drapery, florals, and other workshops and interactive activities with featured guests such as Balloon King, Jesus Tejada. Day two of the conference begins the speaker’s series, which features renowned industry experts such as Diann Valentine and Khadidra Muhammad (PEP), just to name a few. The third and final day of the conference features the boss’s brunch hosted by none other than VH1’s My Celebrity Wedding co-stars Tori, Lance, and Courtney.
Some topics to be covered during the conference will focus on building business credit, finding funding, and learning what lenders look for to get approved for financing.
“I feel when you have desire in your heart, you are on the right path, but because you don’t know what you don’t know, there are just a couple of things that you need to tweak, and then boom, you are there!”
To register for the Tweak Your Biz Revenue Retreat, or learn more about SheEO and future conferences, visit www.sheeomission.com or www.tweakyourbizconference.com.
